Record: 41-17

OffRtg: 112.7 (22) DefRtg: 109.6 (2) NetRtg: +3.1 (6) Pace: 101.0 (11)

The Bucks went into the break with 12 straight wins, and they’ve won 17 of the last 18 games in which they’ve had Giannis Antetokounmpo. But they only had him for nine minutes in Chicago on Thursday, because he suffered a sprained right wrist early in the second quarter. As the Bucks come out of the All-Star break, Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton have played just 121 total minutes together, with Middleton coming off the bench and averaging just 19.4 minutes in the 10 games he’s played since his return. The Bucks have also been without Bobby Portis for their last 11 games, and they’ll add Jae Crowder after the break.

The question is how much offensive improvement they’ll see going forward. It’s been 20 years (2002-03 Nets) since a team reached the Finals after ranking in the bottom 10 offensively in the regular season, and in the 26 previous seasons of play-by-play data, no team with a bottom-10 offense has gone on to win a championship. The Bucks have ranked 12th offensively (with improved shooting and fewer turnovers) over the course of their winning streak, and they’ll come out of the break with two games against top-10 defenses (though of the Heat and Suns).

Three numbers to know…

1. The Bucks have been the league’s most improved defensive team, allowing 1.5 fewer points per 100 possession than they did last season when they ranked 14th on that end of the floor. They’ve also had the best defense (109.0 points allowed per 100 possessions in 20 games) against the league’s top-10 offenses.

2. They’re 41-17 with the point differential (plus-3.2 per game, fourth in the East) of a team that’s 36-22. That’s the biggest differential between a team’s actual wins and its “expected” wins. Have the league’s best record (28-6) in games that were within five points in the last five minutes.

3. They have the best record (19-8) in games played between the 15 teams that are currently over .500.

Week 19: vs. MIA, vs. PHX

Record: 42-17

OffRtg: 116.9 (3) DefRtg: 110.6 (4) NetRtg: +6.2 (1) Pace: 99.5 (17)

Despite missing four starters on Tuesday, the Celtics almost won in Milwaukee, getting big games from Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon. It was a little reminder that both of those guys have had bigger roles elsewhere, but have fit in incredibly well with the Celtics’ ensemble. Both are registering their lowest usage rates of (at least) the last four seasons, and both are having the most effective shooting seasons of their career. Brogdon leads the league in 3-point percentage (45.5%) and White’s defense continues to be a plus.

With the loss to the Bucks, the Celtics are 9-6 against the other six Eastern Conference teams that went into the break with winning records. That’s the best record in games played within the top seven, and five of those six losses have come in overtime. Overall, Boston and Milwaukee are now tied in the loss column, their post-break strength of schedule is about even, and the final head-to-head meeting (which will determine the tie-breaker) is in Milwaukee. The Celtics’ two remaining games against the third-place Sixers are also on the road, with the first of those on Saturday night.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Celtics are the only team that ranks in the top five on both ends of the floor.

2. The Celtics have outscored their opponents by 6.2 points per 100 possessions, the best mark in the league, but down from their mark of plus-7.4 (second) last season. The plus-6.2 would actually be the worst mark for the No. 1 team in the 27 seasons for which we have play-by-play data, with the previous low mark belonging to last season’s Suns (plus-7.5 per 100).

3. They lead the league in 3-point differential, having outscored their opponents by 13.1 points per game from 3-point range. They’ve seen the league’s biggest jump in 3-point rate, taking 47.9% of their shots from 3-point range (second), up from 42.5% (eighth) last season.

Week 19: @ IND, @ PHI

Record: 41-18

OffRtg: 117.6 (1) DefRtg: 113.2 (13) NetRtg: +4.5 (3) Pace: 99.2 (19)

The Nuggets have the league’s No. 1 offense, led by a two-time MVP having a historically efficient season. What may be more noteworthy is the defensive improvement they’ve seen over the last month and a half. They’ve climbed from 25th to 13th in defensive efficiency since early January and for the season, they’ve allowed 0.5 fewer points per 100 possessions than the league average, what would be their second-best mark in Michael Malone’s eight seasons as head coach. And it should be noted that their defense was at its worst (119.2 points allowed per 100 possessions) with Bones Hyland (who now plays for the Clippers) on the floor.

The Nuggets will face Hyland and his new team on Sunday. After their win over the Mavs last week, they’re 9-3 (4-0 since Jan. 1) within the top six in the West, with six games remaining against the group. Three of those six are in the first nine days after the break, and two of those three are against the Grizzlies, who they lead by four games in the loss column. The first meeting between the top two teams in the West (Dec. 20 in Denver) was both the Nuggets’ best defensive game of the season and the Grizzlies’ worst offensive game of the season (91 points on 101 possessions).

Three numbers to know…

1. The Nuggets have scored 117.6 points per 100 possessions and have an effective field goal percentage of 58.2%. Those would both be the highest marks in NBA history. But the 117.6 is only 3.9 more points per 100 possessions than the league average, which would be the 99th-best differential (and the lowest for a top-ranked offense) in the 27 seasons for which we have play-by-play data.

2. The Nuggets have the league’s fourth biggest home-road differential in regard to winning percentage (27-4 vs. 14-14), but it’s biggest differential in regard to point differential per 100 possessions (plus-11.9 vs. minus-3.8).

3. They’ve outscored their opponents by 13.1 points per 100 possessions in the first quarter, the best mark for any team in any quarter. But they’ve had the league’s 29th-ranked bench in regard to aggregate on-court NetRtg (minus-3.8). Only the Spurs’ bench has been worse.

Week 19: @ CLE, @ MEM, vs. LAC

Record: 38-19

OffRtg: 115.7 (6) DefRtg: 111.7 (6) NetRtg: +4.0 (4) Pace: 98.0 (26)

The Sixers went into the break with one of their biggest wins of the season, though they almost blew a 28-point lead against the Cavs on Wednesday. It wasn’t their best defensive performance, but against the league’s No. 1 defense, they had their fifth (and second straight) 50/40/90 shooting game of the season. That total leads the league (there have been 41 50/40/90 performances total) and is two more than the Sixers had last season. And with the win, the Sixers are four games ahead of the fourth-place Cavs in the loss column.

They’re just two games in the loss column behind the first-place Celtics but have four fewer wins than Boston because the Sixers are one of four teams (the other three are in the Western Conference) with 25 games left to play. They have the league’s toughest remaining schedule in regard to cumulative opponent winning percentage (.540), and it begins with about as tough of a three-game homestand as you’re going to get. After the Sixers host the Grizzlies, Celtics and Heat, 15 of their final 22 games will be on the road.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Sixers are the only team that’s been better than the league average on both ends of the floor in each of the last six seasons, but this would be the first time in 38 years (since the 1984-85 season) that they ranked in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency.

2. The Sixers have gotten only 34 total minutes from rookies (8) or second-year players (26). Every other team has gotten no fewer than 571.

3. Embiid has set 831 ball-screens for Harden and Harden has assisted Embiid 171 times. Those are the most ball-screens for any league-wide combination and the most assists from one player to a single teammate.

Week 19: vs. MEM, vs. BOS

MAC MCCLUNG THAT IS OUTRAGEOUS 🎬#ATTSlamDunk x #StateFarmSaturday
📺: Live on TNT pic.twitter.com/s4fo3kbkl8

— NBA (@NBA) February 19, 2023

Record: 38-23

OffRtg: 115.0 (10) DefRtg: 109.3 (1) NetRtg: +5.8 (2) Pace: 96.0 (30)

The Cavs still have the league’s No. 1 defense. But since Christmas, they’re 1-5 against the league’s top-10 offenses, having allowed 121.6 points per 100 possessions over those six games. The latest of those was in Philadelphia on Wednesday, when the Sixers made eight corner 3s and were 27-for-29 from the line, taking a 28-point lead and holding off a late Cavs rally to create more separation between the third and fourth-place teams in the East. One area where the Cavs’ defense has taken a step backward this season is fouls, with only three teams having seen a bigger jump in opponent free throw rate from last season.

The Cavs have a relatively easy post-break schedule, but their first game is against the league’s No. 1 offense, and their first game against the Nuggets (Jan. 6) was their second-worst defensive game of the season (121 points allowed on just 89 possessions). That will be the Cavs’ 29th of 30 games against the Western Conference, and they’ll play 19 of their final 20 within the East.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Cavs are 38-23 with the point differential (plus-5.6 per game, second best) of a team that’s 43-18. That’s the biggest differential between a team’s “expected” wins and its actual wins. They have the league’s best record (21-7) in games that weren’t within five points in the last five minutes.

2. They have the league’s top-ranked bench, with an aggregate NetRtg of plus-2.2. They have the league’s best record (10-16) in games trailed after the third quarter and its third-best record (12-19) in games trailed by double-digits.

3. Only 65% of the Cavs’ 3-point attempts, the league’s lowest rate, have been off the catch. But they’re one of four teams – the Hawks, Pacers and Heat are the others – that have shot better on pull-up 3s (37.7%, fourth best) than they have on catch-and-shoot 3s (35.7%, 20th).

Week 19: vs. DEN, @ ATL, vs. TOR

Record: 35-22

OffRtg: 113.7 (15) DefRtg: 109.8 (3) NetRtg: +4.0 (5) Pace: 101.8 (6)

After a 1-8 slide, the Grizzlies went into the break winning three of their last four games and doing it with defense. Offense has been an issue, with the Grizz ranking 25th on that end of the floor over the last 13 games. Steven Adams’ work on the glass has been missed, but they have still ranked seventh in offensive rebounding percentage over that stretch and their shooting has dropped off more from outside the paint than it has in the paint. Dillon Brooks has shot 22-for-97 (22.7%) from 3-point range since Jan. 1, the worst mark among 185 players with at least 50 attempts in 2023.

The Grizz have a relatively easy remaining schedule in regard to opponent strength, but eight of their next 12 games are on the road, where they’ve lost seven straight. Adams had 10 offensive boards when the Grizzlies beat the Sixers in early December, and the two teams will meet again on Thursday.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Grizzlies lead the league in points-in-the-paint differential per game for the third straight season, having outscored their opponents by 11.9 points in the paint per game. That would be the biggest differential for any team in the last 10 seasons, and their own 59.2 points in the paint per game would be the highest average in the 27 seasons for which points in the paint have been tracked.

2. They’ve been the league’s best team both in the first six minutes of the first quarter (plus-1.9 points per game) and the first six minutes of the third quarter (plus-1.8 per game). They lead the league with eight wire-to-wire victories (games in which they never trailed), and also have the best record (35-4) in games they led by double-digits.

3. The Grizzlies have taken 21.3% of their shots, the league’s highest rate, in the first six seconds of the shot clock. Their effective field goal percentage of 57.1% in the first six seconds ranks 26th.

Week 19: @ PHI, vs. DEN

Record: 33-28

OffRtg: 112.8 (21) DefRtg: 112.6 (10) NetRtg: +0.3 (16) Pace: 98.2 (24)

The Clippers are *19-9 when they’ve had both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard after picking up big wins over the Warriors and Suns before the break in which they scored 90 points on just 60 offensive possessions (150 per 100) with their starting lineup on the floor and another 29 on 19 with Eric Gordon in Marcus Morris’ place (the lineup with which they closed the Phoenix game). The question going forward is how they do in the minutes when one of their two stars is off the floor (they’ve been staggering their minutes), and what role Russell Westbrook plays in those minutes.

* That’s the 44th-best record among 520 two-man combinations that have played at least 20 games and 500 total minutes together. The best mark (31-9) belongs to Jrue Holiday and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Even with the win over the Suns, the Clippers have the worst record (4-8) in games played between the top six teams in the West, with seven games remaining within the group. Two of the seven are this week, and they’ll have rest advantages against the Kings on Friday and in Denver on Sunday. With the win over the Warriors last week, they’re 3-1 in rest-advantage games thus far, one of only four teams that’s played fewer than five.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Clippers are one of two teams – the Knicks are the other – with a better record on the road (18-15) than they have at home (15-13).

2. They’ve been outscored by 4.8 points per 100 possessions (sixth worst) in the first halves of games, but are a plus-5.0 (second best) in second halves. That’s the league’s biggest half-to-half differential.

3. They have the biggest differential in their record against the 15 teams currently at or below .500 (24-9, fourth best) and their record against teams currently over .500 (9-19, worst within the group).

Week 19: vs. SAC, @ DEN

Record: 33-27

OffRtg: 115.7 (7) DefRtg: 113.6 (15) NetRtg: +2.0 (8) Pace: 97.4 (27)

Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle have played 1,732 minutes together, 166 more than any other two-man combination in the league. And the Knicks have been outscored by 0.6 points per 100 possessions in those minutes. Those numbers were much better (plus-17.8 per 100) as they went into the break with a three-game winning streak, but the team was still at its best with reserves on the floor. One of those reserves was Josh Hart, who averaged 17.0 points on an effective field goal percentage of 77.6% over the three games. He certainly won’t shoot that well going forward, but Hart will probably continue to close games.

One of those three wins came against the fifth-place Nets, who the Knicks now trail by three games in the loss column. The two teams have similarly tough remaining schedules and the final head-to-head meeting will be next week in New York. That will be the end of a three-game homestand that begins with a visit from the Pelicans (a rest-disadvantage game for the Knicks) on Saturday.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Knicks, one of two teams that have had a bottom-10 offense in each of the last four seasons, have a top-10 offense for what would be the first time in the last 10 years. They’ve seen the fifth-biggest jump in points scored per 100 possessions (+6.0).

2. They’re one of three teams – the Hornets and Rockets are the others – with fewer than two players (Brunson is their only one) who’ve shot the league average (36.0%) or better on at least 100 3-point attempts. They rank 24th in effective field goal percentage, but they’re the only team that ranks in the top 10 in each of the other four factors on offense. They’re eighth in free throw rate, fourth in turnover percentage, and second in offensive rebounding percentage.

3. In their road games, Knicks opponents have taken only 26.5% of their shots in the restricted area. That’s the league’s lowest opponent rate in road games. (We use only road games to account for arena-to-arena inconsistencies in shot-location data.)

Week 19: @ WAS, vs. NOP

Record: 32-28

OffRtg: 113.5 (18) DefRtg: 112.0 (8) NetRtg: +1.5 (11) Pace: 98.7 (22)

By going 11-4 (with the league’s fourth-ranked defense) over their last 15 games before the break, the Suns don’t have to dig out of a huge hole, and they have a good opportunity to finish as high as third in the Western Conference. They did lose to the Clippers (with Devin Booker and Chris Paul combining for just 24 points on 8-for-24 shooting) in their last game before the break, and they do have the West’s third toughest remaining schedule in regard to cumulative opponent winning percentage (.517). But the only two West teams with tougher slates are the two teams – the Clippers and Kings – between the Suns and the 3 seed. The Suns have three games remaining against those two teams (the one Clippers game is on the last day of the season), and they’re all at home.

Of course, the Suns are now (basically) hitting the reset button by adding one of the best players in the world. The good news is that Durant has looked pretty sharp each of the last few times he’s returned from an extended absence. He had 68 points (on 22-for-42 shooting and against defenses that ranked first and fourth last season) in his first two games back from a similar knee injury last March. The Suns have two games remaining against this season’s second-ranked defense, with the first of those in Milwaukee on Sunday afternoon.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Suns have already lost 10 more games than they did all of last season, having seen the league’s biggest drop in winning percentage (-.247). They’ve seen the third biggest drop in point differential per 100 possessions (-6.0) from last season and also its biggest drop in pace, averaging 1.6 fewer possessions per 48 minutes than they did last season.

2. They have eight players – tied with Brooklyn for the league lead – who’ve shot the league average (36.0%) or better on at least 100 3-point attempts.

3. The Suns rank last in the percentage of their possessions (13.2%) that have been in transition, according to Synergy tracking. Mikal Bridges (no longer with the team) had scored 69 more transition points than any other Suns player at the All-Star break, though Devin Booker has averaged more transition points per game (4.8 vs. 4.1).

Week 19: vs. OKC, @ MIL

Record: 32-25

OffRtg: 117.3 (2) DefRtg: 115.2 (22) NetRtg: +2.1 (7) Pace: 101.2 (10)

With the league average for efficiency taking a huge leap from last season, the Kings have had the league’s seventh most “improved” defense, even though they’ve allowed more points per 100 possessions than they did in 2021-22 (114.8, 27th). Having allowed just 1.5 per 100 more than the league average, this would be their fourth-best defensive season in the 17 years since they last made the playoffs. But that’s still not good, and the Kings went into the break allowing 124.8 points per 100 possessions over their last six games, with only the Blazers and Rockets having allowed more over that stretch.

Turning things around on that end of the floor could be tough because the Kings have twice as many remaining games against top-10 offenses (10) as they have against bottom-10 offenses (5). The Kings are also one of four teams with six back-to-backs remaining on their schedule, and the first of the six is right away. They’ll host the Blazers (who rank fifth offensively) on Thursday and then begin a three-game trip in L.A. on Friday, having split their first two games with the fourth-place Clippers (who they lead by three games in the loss column).

The Kings are 70% of the way toward ending the longest playoff drought in NBA history and, while there are three teams – the Clips, Suns and Mavs – that obviously have the ability to catch them down the stretch, it would take a fourth to knock them out of a guaranteed playoff spot.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Kings have seen the league’s biggest jump in winning percentage (+.196) and its third-biggest jump in point differential per 100 possessions (+7.3) from last season.

2. They’re one of three teams – the Nets and Mavs are the others – that rank in the top 10 in field goal percentage in the paint (61.4%, second), mid-range field goal percentage (44.2%, fourth) and 3-point percentage (36.5%, ninth).

3. The Kings’ starting lineup has played 661 total minutes, most in the league and 544 more minutes than any Kings lineup played last season. It’s outscored opponents by 4.0 points per 100 possessions, a mark which ranks 13th among 27 lineups that have played at least 200 minutes.

Week 19: vs. POR, @ LAC, @ OKC

Record: 31-29

OffRtg: 115.5 (8) DefRtg: 115.2 (24) NetRtg: +0.3 (15) Pace: 96.4 (29)

The Mavs are 0-2 with both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in the lineup, and they also lost without Irving in Denver on Wednesday. Not unexpectedly, defense has been an issue; they’ve allowed 123.8 points allowed per 100 possessions over the three-game losing streak, with their loss to Minnesota last week (in which the Wolves shot 32-for-43 in the paint) being the sixth time they’ve allowed more than 130 points per 100 possessions. They could really use a healthy Maxi Kleber (who’s missed the last 33 games) as soon as possible.

But the Mavs have the league’s easiest remaining schedule in regard to cumulative opponent winning percentage (.466), and they’re tied with the Pistons for the fewest games remaining (4) against teams that currently rank in the top 10 offensively. But they haven’t been particularly good at taking care of business against weaker opponents. In fact, they’re one of two teams – the Spurs are the other – that have more wins (they’re 16-15) against the 15 teams currently over .500 than they do (they’re 15-14) against the 15 teams that are currently at or below .500. Their post-break schedule begins with a six-game homestand, with the first three games against that latter group.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Mavs have allowed 6.1 more points per 100 possessions than they did last season (109.1), when they ranked seventh defensively. Only the Spurs (+8.1) Warriors (+7.5) have seen bigger jumps.

2. They rank 29th in the percentage of their shots (42%) that have come in the paint and lead the league in 3-point rate, having taken 48.7% of their shots from beyond the arc.

3. They’re the only team that ranks in the bottom five in both ball movement (291 passes per 24 minutes of possession, 28th) and player movement (10.2 miles traveled per 24 minutes of possession, 30th).

Week 19: vs. SAS, vs. LAL

Record: 34-24

OffRtg: 115.4 (9) DefRtg: 113.4 (14) NetRtg: +2.0 (9) Pace: 98.8 (21)

The Nets split their two pre-break games against the two teams trailing them in the standings, getting clobbered by the Knicks and then blowing past the Heat with a huge fourth quarter (17 of his career-high 45 points) from Mikal Bridges. The bigger difference between the two games was actually on the other end of the floor, where the Knicks had their most efficient game of the season (124 points on just 89 possessions). Despite all their perimeter length, the new Nets haven’t been a very disruptive defensive team, forcing just 10.4 turnovers per 100 possessions over their three games with the new ensemble.

Their starting lineup (with two Mavs, two Suns and Nic Claxton) has allowed just 77 points on 88 defensive possessions (88 per 100) and has eight of their 13 steals in one-third of their total minutes over the three games. But, as was the case with the pre-deadline Nets, this team is being held back by Ben Simmons’ inability to return to anything close to All-Star form. He had zero steals, two blocks and seven fouls in 50 minutes off the bench as the Nets went 2-1 with the new group.

The Nets have one of the league’s toughest post-break schedules, and it begins with a stretch where they’re playing nine of 11 games on the road. If they were to slip into seventh or eighth place in the East, the Hawks would be their most likely Play-In opponent, and they’ll be in Atlanta on Sunday afternoon. They’re 2-0 against the Hawks thus far, with the necessary context being that Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant combined for more than half their points (121/228) over the two games.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Nets are the only team that ranks in the top five in both effective field goal percentage (second) and opponent effective field goal percentage (third). But they’ve averaged 5.7 fewer shooting opportunities (field goal attempts or trips to the line) than their opponents, the league’s worst discrepancy by a wide margin. That’s mostly about rebounding, with the Nets ranking 30th in offensive rebounding percentage and 29th in defensive rebounding percentage

2. They have the league’s biggest differential in their record between when they’ve shot 36% (the league average) or better from 3-point range (28-8) and when they’ve shot worse (6-16, with seven straight losses).

3. They have the league’s best record (25-8) against the 15 teams that are currently at or below .500.

Week 19: @ CHI, @ ATL

Record: 32-27

OffRtg: 111.1 (26) DefRtg: 111.2 (5) NetRtg: -0.1 (20) Pace: 96.8 (28)

The Heat’s streak of 11 straight games being within five points in the last five minutes came to an end in Brooklyn on Wednesday, when, with a great chance to help themselves in the standings, they were within one point with 7 1/2 minutes to go. But they allowed the Nets (mostly Mikal Bridges) to score 18 points on a stretch of seven possessions and make the game not close. Offense has obviously been the bigger issue for the Heat this season, but they allowed 126.7 points per 100 possessions as they went into the break with two straight losses that dropped them back into seventh place.

The Heat still have four games remaining against the fifth-place Nets and sixth-place Knicks, and three of those four will be in Miami. But they begin their post-break schedule with a three-game trip that includes games against the Bucks and Sixers, who are a combined 47-13 at home. The Heat have lost five of their last seven on the road, with one of those losses having come in Milwaukee earlier this month.

Three numbers to know…

1. 69% of the Heat’s games, the league’s highest rate, have been within five points in the last five minutes. They’re 23-18 in those games, with the league’s 11th-ranked clutch offense and its sixth-ranked clutch defense.

2. They’ve already played more possessions of zone (1,285, 21.8 per game) than any other team in 15 seasons of Synergy tracking. The 0.93 points per possession they’ve allowed in zone ranks third among the 18 teams that have played at least 100 possessions of zone.

3. Only 38% of the Heat’s 3-point attempts, the league’s lowest rate, have been wide open, according to Second Spectrum tracking.

Week 19: @ MIL, @ CHA

Record: 31-30

OffRtg: 113.2 (19) DefRtg: 113.0 (12) NetRtg: +0.2 (18) Pace: 101.8 (5)

The Wolves went into the break with a pretty terrible loss, blowing an 18-point, late-third-quarter lead at home to the Wizards. They’ve alternated wins and losses for their last 10 games, with the inconsistency really showing up on the offensive end of the floor. Overall, they’re one of only nine teams that have scored fewer points per 100 possessions than they did last season, when they ranked seventh offensively.

They’ve been without Karl-Anthony Towns for the last 40 games, and his eventual return provides the potential for offensive improvement. The Wolves were also much better after the All-Star break than they were before the break (especially offensively) in each of their first two seasons under Chris Finch.

The Wolves have the league’s most road-heavy remaining schedule, with only eight of their 21 games at Target Center. Five of those eight home games are against the Eastern Conference, but after they host the Hornets on Friday, they’ll begin a four-game, California trip with a huge game against the Warriors, having split their first two games (both at home) with the champs.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Wolves are the only team with a winning record and a negative point differential, having been outscored by four points over their 61 games.

2. The Wolves have seen the league’s second biggest drop in 3-point rate, taking 38.5% of their shots from 3-point range (13th), down from 45.4% (third) last season.

3. The Wolves have two of the five highest single-game effective field goal percentage marks in NBA history, 78.7% (second highest) against Chicago on Dec. 18 and 77.5% (fifth highest) against San Antonio on Oct. 26.

Week 19: vs. CHA, @ GSW

Record: 29-29

OffRtg: 114.2 (12) DefRtg: 114.1 (20) NetRtg: +0.1 (19) Pace: 103.0 (1)

The Warriors scored more than 134 points per 100 possessions (with seven guys scoring at least 20 total points) over their final two games before the All-Star break. But they won only one of the two games, because they allowed the Clippers to have their most efficient offensive performance of the season against a non-Spurs defense.

So the champs come out of the break at 29-29, needing to go 18-6 the rest of the way to get to 47 wins, the fewest number of wins that any Finals team has had (in an 82-game season) in the last 41 years (since the 40-42 Rockets reached the Finals in 1980-81). An 18-6 (.750) stretch seems pretty unlikely with Stephen Curry (probably) still on the shelf and because the Warriors haven’t won eight out of 10 all season. They haven’t even had a 7-3 stretch since early December.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Warriors are 22-7 (.759, sixth best) at home and 7-22 (.241, fourth worst) on the road. That would be the second biggest home-road differential of the last 20 seasons, smaller than only that of the 2019-20 Sixers (31-4, 12-26).

2. They rank third in effective field goal percentage (57.1%), but are the only team that ranks in the bottom 10 in each of the other four factors on offense. They’re 30th in free throw rate, 29th in turnover percentage, and 22nd in offensive rebounding percentage. They’ve been outscored by 4.4 points per game from the free throw line, what would be the worst discrepancy for any team in the last seven seasons.

3. The Warriors’ initial starting lineup has outscored opponents by 21.9 points per 100 possessions, the best mark among 27 lineups that have played at least 200 minutes. But they’re just a plus-5.3 per 100 in 1,313 total minutes with Curry on the floor, having outscored their opponents by at least 10.7 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor in each of the six seasons (in the last nine years) that they’ve gone on to reach the Finals.

Week 19: @ LAL, vs. HOU, vs. MIN

Record: 30-29

OffRtg: 113.7 (17) DefRtg: 112.3 (9) NetRtg: +1.4 (12) Pace: 100.0 (16)

The Pelicans have been able to keep their heads above water, following their 10-game losing streak with a 4-2 stretch (in which Brandon Ingram averaged 29.8 points) going into the All-Star break. But the lifeboat isn’t arriving any time soon, and it’s absolutely fair to wonder if Zion Williamson (who suffered a setback with his hamstring before the break) will play again this season. Williamson, Ingram and CJ McCollum have played just 172 minutes (over 10 games) together this season, with the Pels having outscored their opponents by 16.5 points per 100 possessions in those 172 minutes.

The Pels have the league’s third easiest post-break schedule in regard to cumulative opponent winning percentage (.473). They also have a league-high seven rest-advantage games left on their schedule, though five of those seven (including their game in New York on Saturday) are on the road. The Pels have the league’s fifth biggest home-road differential in regard to winning percentage (20-10 vs. 10-19) and road teams are just 35-45 with a rest advantage this season. While the Pels are 3-0 in rest-advantage games thus far, two of those had the Warriors resting their starters and the third was against Detroit.

Three numbers to know…

1. This would be just the second time in the last 12 seasons (they ranked ninth in 2016-17) that the Pelicans ranked in the top 10 defensively. They’ve ranked in the bottom 10 seven times over that stretch.

2. The Pels lead the league with 16.5 pass-ahead passes per game, though their player with the most – CJ McCollum (4.9 per game) – ranks just 13th among individuals.

3. Trey Murphy III is one of four qualified players – Bojan Bogdanovic, Malcolm Brogdon and Stephen Curry are the others – who have shot 48% or better from the field, 38% or better from 3-point range, and 88% or better from the line.

Week 19: @ TOR, @ NYK

The self-oop with no bounce 😮‍💨

📺 TNT pic.twitter.com/odBJ88Pbl9

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) February 19, 2023

Record: 29-30

OffRtg: 113.7 (16) DefRtg: 114.2 (21) NetRtg: -0.5 (23) Pace: 101.4 (9)

The Hawks went into the break with two losses in which they never held a lead, getting outscored by 25 points, scoring just 48 points on 56 offensive possessions, and shooting 0-for-15 from 3-point range in the first quarter against the Hornets and Knicks. For the season, the Hawks have four of the 18 players (including new addition Saddiq Bey) who’ve shot worse than 31% on at least 50 first-quarter 3-point attempts, with John Collins having the second-worst mark (13-for-56, 23.2%) among those 18.

The Hawks have now been within one game of .500 (above or below) after each of their last 13 games. The positive part of that back and forth is that they haven’t lost three straight in more than two months. But to avoid their first three-game losing streak since Dec. 5-9, they’ll have to beat Cleveland on Friday, when they’ll have a rest advantage, with the Cavs playing the Nuggets at home the night before. The Hawks are 7-3 (5-1 at home) in rest-advantage games thus far, though one of those losses was in Cleveland in November.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Hawks have seen the league’s fourth biggest drop in points scored per 100 possessions (-1.6) from last season when they ranked second offensively. They’ve seen the fifth biggest drop in effective field goal percentage and the biggest drop in free throw rate, averaging just 23.5 attempts per 100 shots from the field (28th), down from 25.3 (11th) last season.

2. They’ve seen the league’s third biggest drop in both 3-point percentage (from 37.4% to 34.7%) and the third biggest drop in the percentage of their shots that have come from 3-point range, ranking last in the latter (32.9%).

3. The Hawks’ preferred starting lineup has outscored opponents by 12.0 points per 100 possessions, the fifth-best mark among 27 lineups that have played at least 200 minutes together, and it ranks third defensively (105.9 points allowed per 100) among those 27 lineups. They’re 19-11 when all five guys have been available and 10-19 otherwise.

Week 19: vs. CLE, vs. BKN

Record: 28-29

OffRtg: 114.1 (13) DefRtg: 112.6 (11) NetRtg: +1.5 (10) Pace: 102.2 (3)

The Thunder went into the break with a three-point loss and a 37-point win. So they come out of the break at 28-29, with the point differential (plus-1.6 per game, fourth best in the West) of a team that’s 32-25. They’re 13-20 in games that were within five points in the last five minutes and 15-9 otherwise.

Point differential doesn’t matter when it comes to playoff and Play-In seeding, but the Thunder did have the West’s second-best record (17-11) over the two months leading into the break. And they’re one of two teams (league-wide) – the Nuggets were the other – that ranked in the top 10 on both ends of the floor over that stretch. They’ve had No. 1 offense (by a healthy margin) in February, with the context being that three of their seven February games have been against Houston.

Though they don’t get to play the Rockets again, the Thunder have one of the league’s easiest remaining schedules in regard to opponent strength. But they’re one of four teams with 25 games left to play and one of three with no rest-advantage games over the final seven weeks. Two of their five remaining rest-disadvantage games are in Phoenix, with the first of those on Friday.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Thunder are the league’s most improved team from last season, both in regard to winning percentage (+.199) and point differential per 100 possessions (+9.5). They’ve scored 10.4 more points per 100 possessions than they did last season, what would be the third biggest season-to-season improvement on offense over the last 25 years.

2. Their most-used lineup (with Jaylin Williams at center) has played just 105 total minutes, the fewest for any team’s most-used lineup.

3. Isaiah Joe ranks second in the league in 3-point percentage (45.2%). The Thunder have been 15.2 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor (plus-12.3) than they’ve been with him off the floor (minus-2.9). That’s the fourth biggest differential among 326 players who’ve played at least 500 minutes for a single team. Aleksej Pokusevski has the worst differential (19.3 per 100 worse with him on the floor) among those 326 players.

Week 19: @ UTA, @ PHX, vs. SAC

👀 @okcthunder having fun on the fast break!

It's a close one in the third quarter… Watch now on the NBA App!
➡️ https://t.co/0rrSPxOHD0 pic.twitter.com/ak8WN1eaQv

— NBA (@NBA) February 14, 2023

Record: 28-30

OffRtg: 114.0 (14) DefRtg: 113.8 (16) NetRtg: +0.3 (17) Pace: 99.3 (18)

The Wizards went into the break with their best five-game stretch of offense (125.5 points scored per 100 possessions) this season. They were without Kyle Kuzma for three of the five games, but Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis combined to average 53 points on 56/46/90 shooting splits as they won four of the five. The Wizards’ preferred starting lineup has played just 150 total minutes, but it’s scored 123.8 points per 100 possessions, a mark that ranks fifth (behind the Warriors’ starters, a Dallas lineup that no longer exists, and two Denver lineups) among the 47 lineups that have played that much. According to Second Spectrum tracking, the Wiz have scored 1.13 points per chance when Porzingis has set a ball-screen for Beal, a mark which ranks third among 59 combinations with at least 300 total ball-screens.

The Hawks, Wizards and Raptors are currently eighth-10th in the East and within a game of each other. The Wiz have both the easiest and most home-heavy schedule of the three, and they’ve yet to play either of the other two, set to play seven of their 24 post-break games against Atlanta and Toronto.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Wizards are one of four teams – the Thunder, Raptors and Jazz are the others – with losing records and positive point differentials. They’ve seen the league’s sixth biggest improvement from last season in regard to point differential per 100 possessions (+3.7), but only its 12th biggest improvement in regard to winning percentage (+.056).

2. The Wizards are the only team that ranks in top five in both opponent effective field goal percentage (52.9%, fifth) and opponent free throw rate (24.9 attempts per 100 shots from the field, fourth).

3. Beal (87-for-163, 53.4%) and Monte Morris (61-for-120, 50.8%) are two of the nine players who’ve shot better than 50% on at least 100 pull-up 2-pointers.

Week 19: vs. NYK, @ CHI

Record: 28-30

OffRtg: 116.3 (5) DefRtg: 116.5 (27) NetRtg: -0.3 (21) Pace: 98.4 (23)

Over the whole season, the Spurs’ defense has been much worse than that of any other team. But over the last five weeks before the All-Star break, the Blazers allowed 2.1 more points per 100 possessions (124.3) than the Spurs (and everybody else). And that just wasn’t about a handful of bad games against good offenses. Portland has allowed more than 120 points per 100 possessions in 14 of its last 17 games, having done so 11 times in its first 41.

More amazing is that the Blazers have won nine of those 17 games, with the difference between their top-ranked offense (123.6 points scored per 100) and that of the second-ranked Wizards (120.3) over those five weeks being bigger than the difference between their defense and that of the Spurs. Damian Lillard has averaged a ridiculous 36.9 points on 51/39/96 shooting splits over the 17-game stretch, which began right after he scored 50 points against the Cavs’ top-ranked defense. Overall, he’s scored 30-plus in 16 of his last 20 games.

Ridiculous offense has allowed the Blazers to stay afloat, but they’ll eventually need to get a stop or two if they want one of the four Play-In spots in the West. Fifteen of the Blazers’ last 19 games before the break were at home. Now, eight of their next 10 will be on the road, and their post-break schedule begins in Sacramento, where they won on opening night.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Blazers have seen the league’s third-biggest jump in winning percentage (+.153) and its second-biggest jump in point differential per 100 possessions (+8.8) from last season. But that’s mostly because they were so incredibly bad (2-21, minus-21.3) after the All-Star break last year.

2. The Blazers have the most losses (they’re 23-13) in games they led by double-digits. They’re also tied for the most wins (they’re 13-24) in games they trailed by double-digits.

3. The Blazers have played the second most zone possessions (12.7 per game), according to Synergy tracking. Their zone defense (1.01 points allowed per possessions) ranks eighth among 18 teams that have played at least 100 possessions of zone, while their man defense (1.02) ranks 26th, according to Synergy.

Week 19: @ SAC, vs. HOU

Record: 29-31

OffRtg: 116.7 (4) DefRtg: 116.1 (26) NetRtg: +0.6 (14) Pace: 100.4 (14)

The Jazz remain competitive, 2-2 since the trade deadline with all four games having been decided by exactly six points. They did trade three of their top four guys in total steals at the deadline, and in their two post-deadline losses, their opponents committed a total of just 10 turnovers. They had a chance to tie their game in Memphis on Wednesday with less than 20 seconds left, but Talen Horton-Tucker then committed the Jazz’s 24th turnover off the game, giving them a turnover differential of 24-4, tied for the biggest in the league this season.

The Jazz’s first five games out of the break (and seven of their 22 total post-break games) are against Oklahoma City and San Antonio, which is kind of weird. Because the 10th-place Thunder are just a half-game ahead of them and because the Spurs are really bad, the Jazz have a chance real chance at a Play-In spot.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Jazz are one of three teams – the Heat and Blazers are the others – that rank in the top five on one end of the floor and in the bottom five on the other. They’ve combined with their opponents to score 116.5 points per 100 possessions, the league’s highest combined mark.

2. They rank fifth in offensive rebounding percentage (31.1%), but 26th in defensive rebounding percentage (70.1%), having seen the league’s biggest drop in the latter from last season (73.8%, fifth).

3. The Jazz rank fifth in 3-point rate (43.6% of their shots have come from 3-point range) after ranking first in each of the last two seasons. They have the league’s second-biggest differential in their record between when they’ve shot 36% (the league average) or better from 3-point range (22-8) and when they’ve shot worse (7-23).

Week 19: vs. OKC, vs. SAS

Record: 28-31

OffRtg: 114.6 (11) DefRtg: 113.8 (17) NetRtg: +0.8 (13) Pace: 98.2 (25)

The Raptors are going for it, with “it” being a Play-In spot in the East. They’ve won five of their last six games, allowing just 110.8 points per 100 possessions over that stretch. (Context: Four of the six opponents rank in the bottom six offensively.) It’s probably too late for Jakob Poeltl to enter the MVP race, but in his three games, the Raps have been 37.8 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor (plus-20.5) than they’ve been with him off the floor (minus-17.3). Pascal Siakam went into the break on a hot streak, averaging 28.0 points on an effective field goal percentage of 62.8% over the 5-1 stretch.

The Raps have the East’s third toughest post-break schedule in regard to cumulative opponent winning percentage, with eight games remaining against the top five teams in the league. The first of those eight (Sunday in Cleveland) is the second game of a back-to-back..

Three numbers to know…

1. The Raptors are the only team that ranks in the bottom three in both effective field goal percentage (28th) and opponent effective field goal percentage (29th). But they’ve averaged 8.6 more shooting opportunities (field goal attempts or trips to the line) than their opponents, which would be the biggest differential for any team in the last 50 seasons. They lead the league in both turnover differential (minus-4.8 per game) and offensive-rebound differential (plus-3.4 per game)

2. 30.7% of the Raptors’ points, the league’s highest rate, have come on fast breaks (15.9%, second highest) or second chances (14.8%, third highest).

3. Raptors reserves have played only 72.1 minutes per game, which would be the second-fewest for any team in the last five seasons, higher than only their own 71.9 minutes per game from the bench last season. Pascal Siakam (37.6) and Fred VanVleet (36.9) rank first and fourth in minutes per game.

Week 19: vs. NOP, @ DET, @ CLE

Record: 27-32

OffRtg: 113.0 (20) DefRtg: 113.9 (18) NetRtg: -0.9 (24) Pace: 102.4 (2)

After an ugly loss in Portland, the Lakers won their first game in which they had LeBron James and their new additions, holding the Pelicans to just a point per possession (102 on 102) on Wednesday. More important may be that Anthony Davis, who had averaged just 17 points on 41% shooting over his previous four games, broke out with 28 points (on 13-for-17 shooting), 10 rebounds, five assists and two blocks in a little more than 30 minutes. Twenty of the 28 points came in the paint and he had more dunks (2) than he had over those previous four games total (1).

The win over the seventh-place Pelicans was a big one, and it improved the Lakers to 3-4 against the four teams currently in Play-In position. They have seven games remaining against that group, with the first of those on Thursday, when they host the ninth-place Warriors. They’ve split the first two meetings (both in San Francisco), with the Lakers winning without James 11 days ago.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Lakers have the biggest differential between their field goal percentage in the paint (60.2%, sixth) and their effective field goal percentage on shots from outside the paint (47.3%, 27th). This is the fourth time in the last five seasons in which they’ve had the biggest differential, with the only exception being last season when theirs (10.39%%) was just a tick smaller than that of the Nuggets (10.41%). This season, the Lakers are the only team that ranks in the bottom five in both 3-point percentage (33.7%, 26th) and the percentage of their shots that have come from 3-point range (34.5%, 26th).

2. They lead the league in both restricted-area differential (plus-6.9 points per game) and free-three differential (plus-3.3 points per game).

3. James leads the league in fast break points per game (6.4), while Davis leads the league in second-chance points per game (4.6).

Week 19: vs. GSW, @ DAL

Record: 24-35

OffRtg: 111.3 (25) DefRtg: 113.9 (19) NetRtg: -2.6 (25) Pace: 99.2 (20)

The Magic still have the league’s fifth-worst record, but they’ve clearly separated themselves from the bottom four. They started the season 5-20, but are 19-15 (with the league’s eighth-ranked defense) since then. And as they come out of the All-Star break, they’re not out of contention for a spot in the Play-In, currently four games behind the 10th-place Raptors.

Of course, that difference would be just two games if they went into the break with a win in Toronto last Tuesday. But it was the second game of a back-to-back, the Magic have been the league’s worst team (1-10) in the second games of back-to-backs, and they allowed a bottom-five shooting team to shoot 60%.

Good news: The Magic are one of four teams with only two back-to-backs left on their schedule. The first of those isn’t until March 18 and 19 and their post-break slate begins with home games against the Pistons and Pacers. They’re 1-4 against those teams thus far, but three of the four losses came in that 5-20 stretch to start the season.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Magic have been the league’s fourth most improved team in regard to winning percentage (+.138), its fourth most improved team in regard to points scored per 100 possessions (+7.4) and its fourth most improved team in regard to point differential per 100 possessions (+5.5).

2. The Magic rank 19th defensively overall, but they’ve had the fifth-best defense (112.0 points allowed per 100 possessions in 21 games) against the league’s top 10 offenses.

3. The Magic have had the league’s most improved bench in regard to aggregate NetRtg, from minus-5.8 (29th) last season to minus-0.5 (16th) this season.

Week 19: vs. DET, vs. IND

Record: 26-34

OffRtg: 112.4 (23) DefRtg: 115.2 (23) NetRtg: -2.8 (26) Pace: 101.6 (8)

The one good thing about being a terrible first-quarter team is that you get to come back from big deficits. The Pacers are tied for the league lead with 13 wins after trailing by double-digits and they’re now the only team with three wins in games they trailed by 20 points or more, having come back from a huge deficit against the Bulls on Wednesday. The much bigger difference between first quarters and the rest of the game has been on offense; the Pacers would have the league’s sixth-ranked offense (116.2 points scored per 100 possessions) if you didn’t count their first quarters. And they scored 75 points on just 48 second-half possessions (156 per 100) to pull off their second big comeback against the Bulls. Buddy Hield had 27 of the 75 and Pacers had just four turnovers with their 17 second-half assists.

The Pacers have the East’s third easiest post-break schedule in regard to cumulative opponent winning percentage (.488), but it begins with a game against the team with the league’s best record. And after that, they’ll play 11 of 14 on the road, having lost their last 11 games away from Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Pacers are one of only three teams – the Bucks and Bulls are the others – that have allowed fewer points per 100 possessions than they did last season. Overall, they’ve been the league’s fifth most-improved team in regard to winning percentage (+.128) and its second-most-improved team in regard to point differential per 100 possessions (+3.0).

2. They’ve been outscored by 17.0 points per 100 possessions in the first quarter, the worst mark for any team in any quarter. They have the league’s 30th-ranked first-quarter offense (5.5 points per 100 possessions worse than any other team) and its 27th-ranked first-quarter defense. They’re one of two teams – the Pistons are the other – that don’t have a wire-to-wire victory.

3. They’re one of two teams – the Kings are the other – that rank in the top five in both ball movement (367 passes per 24 minutes of possession, second) and player movement (11.9 miles traveled per 24 minutes of possession, second), according to Second Spectrum tracking.

Week 19: vs. BOS, @ ORL

Record: 26-33

OffRtg: 111.7 (24) DefRtg: 112.0 (7) NetRtg: -0.3 (22) Pace: 100.4 (13)

The Bulls are the only team with three losses in games they led by 20 points or more, and two of their three have come in Indiana. They led by as many as 24 last Wednesday and were up six with less than four minutes left, but the Pacers hit three 3-pointers on their next five possessions to pull out a four-point win. The Bulls went into the break with six straight losses, with the league’s second-worst clutch record (10-20), and having been outscored from 3-point range in each of their last nine games.

They come out of the break in 11th place, but only three games behind the eighth-place Hawks. The Bulls have one game remaining against each of the three teams – Atlanta, Washington and Toronto – directly ahead of them in the East, and two of those three games are in the next week. The home team has won each of the three meetings between the Bulls and Wizards, with the two teams combining to score a pretty anemic 104.0 points per 100 possessions over the season series. The finale is in Chicago on Sunday afternoon.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Bulls have been the league’s second most improved defensive team, allowing 1.2 fewer points per 100 possessions than they did last season (113.2), when they ranked 23rd defensively.

2. The Bulls lead the league with 26 games (including five straight earlier this month) in which they’ve made fewer than 10 3-pointers. They’re 7-19 in those games and 19-14 otherwise.

3. DeMar DeRozan (80-for-189, 42.3%) and Zach LaVine (44-for-112, 39.3%) rank first and second in 2-point attempts from 18 feet and out. Trae Young ranks third with 85 attempts, 27 fewer than LaVine and 104 fewer than DeRozan.

Week 19: vs. BKN, vs. WAS

Record: 17-43

OffRtg: 109.2 (29) DefRtg: 115.6 (25) NetRtg: -6.3 (27) Pace: 101.9 (4)

The Hornets put an end to their seven-game losing streak and went into the break with two straight wins. Their win over the Hawks on Monday was their second most efficient offensive performance of the season (144 points on 109 possessions) and their win over the Spurs came with LaMelo Ball’s ninth career triple-double. The San Antonio game (without Terry Rozier) was more of a defensive win, but the Hornets’ new starting lineup (with Mark Williams in Mason Plumlee’s place) has combined with their opponents to score more than 133 points per 100 possessions (allowing 138 per 100) in its 59 minutes over three games together.

The Hornets have the league’s most home-heavy remaining schedule, with 14 of their 22 games at the Spectrum Center. But five of their next seven are against teams that come out of the All-Star break with winning records, and the Hornets are just 5-24 against that group thus far. One of those five wins came against the Wolves, and Hornets will be in Minnesota on Friday.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Hornets have seen the league’s biggest drop in offensive efficiency, scoring 4.4 fewer points per 100 possessions than they did last season (113.6) when they ranked eighth on that end of the floor.

2. The Hornets have had a halftime lead in only 16 games, three fewer than any other team. They’ve been the league’s worst second-quarter team, getting outscored by 10.4 points per 100 possessions in the second period.

3. The Hornets have outscored their opponents by 4.6 points per game, the league’s second-best differential, in the restricted area.

Week 19: @ MIN, vs. MIA

Record: 15-44

OffRtg: 110.8 (27) DefRtg: 118.1 (29) NetRtg: -7.3 (28) Pace: 100.5 (12)

James Wiseman played his first game with the Pistons on Wednesday, backing up Jalen Duren against the Celtics. And the playing time was basically split in half, with Duren playing 24:30 and Wiseman playing 23:30. The new addition didn’t look bad in scoring 11 points and grabbing five rebounds, and there was one fast break where his end-to-end speed was eye-opening. But he also didn’t look anywhere but at the basket; Wiseman had 11 frontcourt touches, shooting nine times and getting to the line once.

The Pistons have only six remaining games, three fewer than any other team, against the 15 teams that come out of the break with winning records. Ten of their next 11 are against teams currently below .500 and they’re 2-0 against the Magic, set to being their post-break slate in Orlando on Thursday.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Pistons came into the season with the league’s longest active streak (11 straight seasons) of having a worse-than-average offense, and they’re in position to rank in the bottom five on that end of the floor for the third straight year. But they’ve actually seen the league’s sixth-biggest jump in points scored per 100 possessions (+5.2) from last season.

2. The Pistons have an effective field goal percentage of 62.5% (sixth best) in the first six seconds of the shot clock and just 52.4% (fifth worst) in the last 18 seconds of the shot clock. That’s the league’s biggest drop-off, according to Second Spectrum tracking.

3. Bojan Bogdanovic has scored .465 points per touch, third most among 366 players with at least 500 touches. He’s one of four qualified players who’ve shot 48% or better from the field, 40% or better from 3-point range and 85% or better from the line.

Week 19: @ ORL, vs. TOR

Record: 13-45

OffRtg: 109.2 (30) DefRtg: 117.8 (28) NetRtg: -8.6 (29) Pace: 100.1 (15)

The Rockets’ last win came on Feb. 1 against the Thunder. Since then, they’ve played two games in Oklahoma City, and they’ve been their two worst losses of the season. The first was the worst defensive game for any team this season, and the second (last Wednesday) was the Rockets’ worst offensive game (96 points on 106 possessions) since Jan. 1.

The Rockets are obviously playing for Lottery combinations, but this group still needs to use its final 24 games constructively. And it’s possible that no team needed the All-Star break more than the one that’s lost seven straight games and gotten 58.5% of its minutes, the fifth highest for any team in the last 20 seasons, from rookies or second-year players. A fresh start for the young legs begins with a two-game trip in which the Rockets will visit the Warriors and Blazers.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Rockets are the only team that ranks in the bottom five in field goal percentage in the paint (55.0%, 28th), mid-range field goal percentage (35.7%, 30th) and 3-point percentage (32.6%, 29th).

2. They’ve seen the league’s biggest drop in 3-point rate, taking 37.7% of their shots from 3-point range (16th), down from 44.8% (fourth) last season. They’ve taken only 18% of their 3-point attempts, the league’s lowest rate, from the corners. And they’re the only team that doesn’t have a player that’s shot the league average (36.0%) or better on at least 100 3-point attempts.

3. The Rockets have allowed 27.4 points per game in transition. That’s the highest opponent mark in 19 seasons of Synergy tracking, topping the 25.0 that the Rockets allowed last season.

Week 19: @ GSW, @ POR

Record: 14-45

OffRtg: 109.7 (28) DefRtg: 119.8 (30) NetRtg: -10.1 (30) Pace: 101.7 (7)

The Spurs haven’t ranked last on either end of the floor over the course of their 14-game losing streak, because the Bulls were worse offensively and the Blazers were worse defensively (by a pretty wide margin) over the last four weeks before the All-Star break. But this team is still in danger of ranking 30th on both ends of the floor for the season, needing to hold off the Rockets (who get to play two more games against the Spurs’ defense) and Hornets on offense to avoid that fate. On the bright side, the last team to finish last on both ends of the floor was the 2017-18 Suns, and they were in the Finals three years later.

Continued absences for Tre Jones (who’s missed six of the last seven games) won’t help the offense, but they’ll provide more opportunities for Malaki Branham. The rookie isn’t much of a point guard (3.2 assists per 36 minutes), but he has shot 49-for-92 (53.5%) on pull-up 2-pointers, the fourth-best mark (behind those of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Bradley Beal) among 115 players who’ve attempted at least 75.

Three numbers to know…

1. The Spurs have been 10.3 points per 100 possessions worse than they were last season (plus-0.2). That would be the ninth biggest season-to-season drop-off in the 27 years for which we have play-by-play data.

2. The Spurs are the only team without a win (0-40) in games they trailed after the third quarter and the only team without a win (0-42) in games they trailed by double-digits. In the 26 previous seasons for which we have play-by-play data, only one team – the Clippers (0-35) in the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season – didn’t win a game it trailed by 10 points or more.

3. Keldon Johnson (from 21.0% to 27.3%) and Devin Vassell (from 18.4% to 24.2%) have seen the second and third biggest jumps in usage rate among 270 players that have played at least 500 minutes in each of the last two seasons.

Week 19: @ DAL, @ UTA